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by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

I, Michael Parker, own this book and took these notes to further my own learning. If you enjoy these notes, please purchase the book!

Takedowns

  • pg 19: Make decisions right before you do something, not far in advance; long term plans are just guesses.
  • pg 23: It's okay to stay small; once big, it's hard to shrink without firing people and damaging morale.

Go

  • pg 35: Build what you need, so you'll know the right answers, assess its quality directly, and love your work.
  • pg 43: Have a point of view and strong opinions; otherwise everything is debatable, and decisions are hard.
  • pg 50: Taking outside money relinquishes control to VCs, deprioritizes customers, and is distracting.
  • pg 56: A business without a path to profit isn't a business, it's a hobby.
  • pg 62: Avoid mass, like excess staff, long-term contracts, lock-ins, road maps, etc. to stay lean and agile.

Progress

  • pg 72: Prioritize working on the most important part of your business so it's the best it can be; defer the rest.
  • pg 77: Make decisions, don't wait for the perfect solution; decisions build momentum and boost morale.
  • pg 90: When you make something, you always make something else; sell those byproducts.

Productivity

  • pg 102: Don't throw good time after bad work; ensure that what you're working on matters.
  • pg 108: Meeting suck: they convey little information, drift off-subject, require preparation, and procreate.
  • pg 115: Momentum fuels motivation; build it through constant small victories that generate enthusiasm.
  • pg 121: Don't forego sleep: you'll be stubborn, uncreative, inefficient, irritable, and lose motivation.
  • pg 127: You'll feel guilty over long lists, then stress out; divide and conquer into small, manageable lists.

Competitors

  • pg 136: If you're a copycat, you're in a passive position where you're always behind the times.
  • pg 141: If a competitor sucks, pick a fight; you'll stand out, earn followers, and ignite passions of users.

Evolution

  • pg 153: Get into the habit of saying no; saying yes is easy, but you often wind up regretting it.
  • pg 157: Let customers outgrow you; focus on features that attract new customers, not please old ones.
  • pg 164: Feature requests that matter you'll hear over and over, so no need to write them down.

Promotion

  • pg 174: Teach your customers; even if people don't use your product, they'll still be your fans.
  • pg 188: Niche bloggers are hungry for finding the new thing; stories that start there can go mainstream.
  • pg 191: Give away something for free; if your product is strong enough, people will come back for more.

Hiring

  • pg 201: Don't hire anyone until you've tried the job yourself; then you'll know what and who to look for.
  • pg 206: Hiring more people than needed leads to invented projects, which adds cost and complexity.
  • pg 210: A cover letter lets you hear someone's actual voice; you can tell if it's in tune with your company.
  • pg 222: Great writers are great candidates, for clear writing is clear thinking.
  • pg 227: Hire potential employees for a mini-project; in a real work environment, the truth comes out.

Damage Control

  • pg 235: Responding to customers quickly with a personal response is the best customer service.
  • pg 238: A good apology accepts responsibility, provides details of the problem, and a solution.

Culture

  • pg 251: Don't make up problems you don't have yet; decisions don't lost forever anyway.
  • pg 262: Don't sound big and formal; communicate simply and directly, without legal or PR oversight.
  • pg 268: Saying ASAP devalues any request without it; use emergency language when really needed.